Mac 101: get a floating clock on your screen saver

Welcome, once again, to Mac 101, TUAW's continuing series focusing on tips and tricks useful to new Mac users. Mac veterans might learn a thing or two along the way, but these tips are aimed squarely at our new Mac friends.

Today's tip is all about knowing what time it is. If you're running Leopard you can have your Mac display the time when the screensaver is running.

Simply do the following:

1. Launch System Preferences

2. Click on 'Desktop & Screen Saver' in the 'Personal' row

3. Choose 'Screen Saver'

You'll then see the options to the right. All you have to do is click 'Show with clock' and a clock appears on your screen saver. This clock can be overlaid onto any screen saver that is included with OS X, as well as those made by 3rd parties. Pretty neat, huh?

You can't actually customize the look of the clock, but if you're looking for some customization (or you're not running Leopard yet) check out the Big Time screen saver. It lets you change the look of the clock displayed, as well as set alarms though you can't overlay the Big Time clock screen saver onto other screen savers.

Read on to see what the clock looks like on the Arabesque screen saver.

There you have it, simple and useful (much like myself).